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Event Information:
Pensacola Beach throws one of the
most spectacular 4th of July
Celebrations in the country with
fireworks exploding dramatically
over the Gulf of Mexico. Pensacola
Beach hurls thousands of awesome
fireworks into the night sky,
beginning right after dusk. The
sight of the explosions reflected
off the water is worth the trip
alone. While generally cooler than
most of peninsular Florida,
Pensacola Beach maintains a more
stable temperature year round than
inland areas of Pensacola and
Escambia County. As such, winter
lows are several degrees warmer than
Pensacola proper and summer highs
are generally cooler as a result of
the surrounding waters. As with many
islands, Pensacola Beach enjoys sea
breezes which begin around noon and
end around sunset in the summer.
The
Quieter Beach Boardwalk is on the
Santa Rosa Sound side of the island,
directly across from Casino Beach.
Retail shops, restaurants,
nightclubs, street musicians and
sidewalk artists line it. The
Boardwalk has a large sea shell
stage where concerts are held
several times a year. Most events
are held here, including The Lobster
Fest, DeLuna Fest, Bushwacker Fest,
and the Independence Day fireworks.
Behind the beach there is a boat
dock where anyone can park their
boats free of charge. Fort Pickens
was completed in 1834 and used until
WWII, when modern weapons made
traditional coastal defense
obsolete. Fort Pickens has changed
over the years, so take the
self-guided tour and peel back the
layers of history. You'll see the
plaster-lined rooms that were
intended as officers' quarters, and
later used to house Apache
prisoners. The most famous resident,
Geronimo, lived in identical rooms
along the south wall, which have
since collapsed. Fort Pickens now
houses an auditorium, a museum, and
a visitors center offering
information about the area.
The
Fort itself is only part of the
National Seashore's attractions: the
boundary stretches back seven miles
(11 km). (Fodor's rates Ft. Pickens'
beaches the best in Florida.) So
whether you take the bike trail or
the highway, you'll find
campgrounds, nature trails, and
miles and miles of protected beaches
perfect for sand dollar and sea
shell hunting, and for picking
through flotsam washed ashore from
the high seas and exotic foreign
ports. The road out to the fort was
destroyed by Hurricane Ivan, and was
closed until it re-opened on 22 May
2009 . There is still much work to
be accomplished within Fort Pickens
Area and full visitor services will
not be available. Initially,
utilities (electric, water and dump
stations) will not be available in
the Fort Pickens Campground. This is
scheduled to be repaired in the fall
of 2009. Reservations will not start
up until 2010
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